“The experience of many readers will be, as was mine, that of scales falling from one’s eyes. So that’s the message of Matthew, of Mark, of Luke-Acts, of John!….Why didn’t someone write Written to Be Heard long ago?” [more]

“Positing convincingly that the four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke-Acts, and John—were written to be heard, not read, Borgman [and] Clark analyze how themes embedded in each text resonate when listened to. The authors contend that the gospel writers constructed their texts as ‘oral performances’ with ‘hearing cues’, narrative patterns, repetition, rhythm, and other literary constructions that helped original listeners comprehend key ideas, and contemporary readers (lacking this awareness) misinterpret fundamental themes…. In excavating the gospel narratives’ intricate structure, this perceptive work of scholarship reveals thematic nuances long overlooked by Christian readers.”Publisher’s Weekly, January 15, 2019

“Borgman lays out, in an astute way, the patterns that shape the narrative he in quite intentional ways. His scholarship opens new ways of seeing and reading, and is a welcome contribution.” Walter Brueggemann